Cliff jumping in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Fancy jumping off a cliff into the cool waters of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala? San Marcos has its own jetty where swimmers can catapult themselves into the water 10m below.

The stunning backdrop of volcanos makes for a fantastic photo – so get your mate to climb down the cliff to get the perfect snap.

I take the plunge…

How to get there

Lake Atitlan is 3.5 hours from Antigua and should cost around 60Q for a shuttle bus.

If you’re already on the lake, and staying in the backpacker town of San Pedro, take a water taxi or hire a kayak and sail across. It should take around 40 minutes and you can leave it on a nearby beach.

The jumping platform

How to avoid bruises

Cliff jumping can be dangerous so please take care! Make sure you land feet first and tuck your arms in as you enter the water. If you stick your arms out (or worse still, bellyflop) you’re guaranteed to come out with some mean-looking bruises.

TOP TIP Nervous? Get it over with asap. The longer you think about it, stare at it, put it off, cry, the harder it gets!